Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-04-21
The Shooting of Archbishop Oar.
how.

The days Of Tuesday and Wednes-
day, the 23d and cath of May, we're
anxious days at La Roquette, but
there were no very striking incidents.
About six o'clock on Wednesday even.
ing a detachment of forty of the Ma.
tional Guard, belonging to the even
geurs OF the Republic" as they were
called, arrived at the prison with a
captain. first and second lieutenants,
q commissaire OF police, and two civil
delegates. They all wore bright red
scarfs. Entering the office OF the Jail.
er, these civil delegates demanded otthe
director of the prison the release OF
the hostages. saying that they were
commanded to shoot them. The di-
rector at first refused to deliver, up the
prioners, saying that he would not
consent TO such a massacre OF men
confded to his are without more for.
NAL orders. A long dispute thereupon
arose, which finally ended by the direct
or's giving consent to deliver up six
certain victims who had been designat-
ed. The mea awaited the decision
impatiently in the court, and as soon
as the delegates had got the consent.
OF the director to give upthe prisoners
they all mounted the staircase pell-
nell to the first story, where the hos
tases were confined.
In the presence OF such q contem-
plated crime a silence came over these
~assassins, who awaited the call of the
names OF the victims. The names OF
the six martyrs were called. The
President Bonjean, occupying cell No.
/, was first; then the Able Deguerry,
occupying cell No. 4, was the second;
and the last called was Monseigneur
Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, who oc-
cupied cell No. %. The doors OF the
cells were then opened by the officers
OF the prison, and the victims were all
ordered to leave. They descended,
going to the foot of the stair
case where they embraced each
other, and had q few words,
tho last on earth. Never was
there a more mourntul cortege. MOI
one calculated to awaken sadder emo
tions. Monseigneur Darboy. thoSgh
weak and enfeebled by disease, gave
his arm to Chief Justice Bonjean, and
the venerable man. so well known in
all Paris, Able Degurrey, leaned upon
the arms of the two priests. A good
many struggling National Guards and
others had gathered around the door
of the prison as the victims went out,
and they heaped upon them the viIest
epithets, and to IN extent that arous-
ed the indignation OF a sub-lieuten-
ant, who commanded silence, say
ing to them, that which comes to
these persons to-day, who knows but
what the same may come to us to-
morrow And n man in a blouse
added, ''men who 60 to meet death
ought not to be insulted; none but
towards will insult the unfortunate"
Arriving in the court of La Roquette,
darkness had already come on, and it
was necessary to get lanterns to on
duct the victims between the high walls
which surrounded the court. Nothing
shook the firmness of these men when
they were being marched to assassina.
ton. The archbishop was the coolest
and firmest, because the greatest. He
snook each one by the hand and gave
HIM his last benediction. When they
arrived at the place where they were
TO be shot, the victims were all placed
against the walls which enclosed the
sombre edifice of the prison OF La Ro-
quette. The Archbishop was placed
at the head of the line, and the fields
who murdered him scratched with.
their knives a cross upon the stone
wall at the very place where his head
must have touched it at the moment
they fired their fatal shots. He did
not fall at the first volley, but
stood erect, calm, and inn
movable, and before the other dis
charges came which launched him in
to eternity, he crossed himself three
times upon his forehead. The other
victims all fell together. The marks
of the bullets after they had passed
through their bodies were distinctly
visible. The Archbishop was after
ward mutiIated and his abdomen cut
open. All the bodies were then put in
a cart and removed to Pere Lachaise,
which was but o few squares of, where
they were thrown into a common
ditch iron which, however. they we're
happily rescued before decomposition
had taken place.)-From Ex-Minister
+. B. WAsHBURN's "Reminiscences OF
the Siege and Commune of Paris" in
Scribner's Magazine for April.